I am posting this here, because I want other web hosts to give their opinions too.

You have a link on your site for web host companies to link to for their customers to vote for that particular web host. But, here is my thinking. Why would a web host want to send their current customers to a web hosting DIRECTORY full of competitors to submit a comment about them. There are people out there that will just change because they see a better deal in their face, there are just people like that. Why take that chance, of having your customers leave, because they saw something cheaper, etc.. Even if you offered the best service possible?

I tried to put your form on my own site, but I couldn't get it to worked, there is an ASP file that I don't know where it is located or a form call or something like that.

Could you set it up so web hosting companies can copy the form to put on their own web site for their customers to vote for them?

I'm sending out an issue of our newsletter soon and would like to try to get our customers to vote for us, but I don't want to send them to your site, where my competition is at.

Thanks

Well if youve traveled to any of the other directories they are all the same as fas as that goes.
I really dont think its that much of a concern. Very few comments will be written the day of signup and I feel once you have a customer base, and then get reviews they should be happy enough (you hope) that they arent going to be looking elsewhere anyway!

About the form question? You dont put the actual form on your site. Grab a button to put on your site, and they can click that to review/vote...for you.

Good Luck!

Curtis,

If someone has researched their host then they already know what else is out there. They can just as easily go to a hosting directory themselves as you provide the link. It won't stop them from switching. Hopefully the services will keep them with you.

You can set it up for them to just click a button to vote for you, and not fill out that form, which category, give a rating, enter name and email, etc. ??

Jaiem,

You will be suprised what some people do. Not everyone knows about hosting directories and I have lots of customers that don't go looking around. They find us, like what they see and buy it. Not everyone goes looking around and there are people out there that just do crazy things, that is what I'm afriad of.

Curtis

Ahh, but if you have faith in your products and services then you should have no fear.

Tommy

We are talking about the hosting industry here. Most people don't realize the costs involved to offer superior web hosting, lots of features and the best support. They have no clue and when they see another company offering the same service (they think it is the same, until they use the cheapies) at a cheaper price, they will tell them selves, why should I pay $15 to these guys when I can get the same or more for $10 or $5 bucks a month???

Curtis

Curtis - surely this is normal free market behavior!

When you see a service at a cheaper price and you are happy with yours, the first thing you think is "Am I paying too much" and the second thing is "Will I get at least the same service".

You then make a decision based on how much risk you are prepared to take.

If anyone stops using your service and switches to another cheaper competitor, they will probably find themselves with a hopeless service and then, they will come straight back.

If the cheaper company does turn out to be better than you, then maybe you are doing something wrong (I'm sure it's not the case ).

If you are doing something wrong, you cannot hide it forever !

So be brave, if your product is good, it will sell itself.

Why take chances and not just put the form on your own web site? One, it will be much more professional to your customers, two, why take chances when you work hard getting those customers?

Curtis

You are preaching to the choir, Curtis.

I have had a number of our customers tell me they can get 'the same service' for $5 or $10 bucks a month. I know they can't, but they don't see the difference, except that one costs less. What they really want is for us to cut our prices. Some of the people looking for services on this and other forums are looking for hosting that costs $25 dollars a year.

We make almost no profit on our shared hosting service as it is. Cheap hosting has to be cheap to provide or the company goes out of business. Our service costs almost as much to provide as we charge for it. We actually should raise our prices to keep current with the increase in the cost of providing our services (i.e. rent, power, transit, telco, payroll-all going up, especially power, sheesh), but in the current environment, that isn't likely to be well received.

One thing I'm considering is a no-bones-about-it white paper or FAQ for all of our customers and prospective customers, that clearly explains all the things about web hosting that they don't know, and that the cheapies won't tell them.

And lots of people spend that much on a pair of jeans and more!!!

What is this world coming to? I hate it when someone says they wont pay more than so much a month, like $5. And they are the ones that probably go gambling, driving expensive cars, etc.. I bet they pay more than $5 to be online, but when it comes to owning a business online that might make them money, they don't want to pay anything??

Curtis

Welcome to the world today! Everyone wants champaign service for the cost of soda pop.

It's even more funny that people have such high hopes for their sites, especially e-comm sites, that they spend thousands on development tools, banner ads, credit card/payment systems, merchandise, web designers etc. But pinch pennies when it comes to the hosting.

It's also funny that in a great many other walks of life people often perceive cost=quality. IOW, people often think things that cost more is higher quality. But not when it comes to hosting.